Novi Ark

The archaeological park Novi Ark was created within the project of redevelopment of the Parco Novi Sad place which lead, between 2009 and 2011, to build the underground Novi Park and to complete the restyling of the green area. The more remarkable archaeological finds concern the Roman age layers, that gave us back a neighbouring section of the Mutina town crossed by a large cobblestone street.Moreover, the excavations have dug out a necropolis with various tombs and funerary monuments, two rural buildings, basins and manufacturing plants and three dumping grounds containing discarded amphoras and other archaeological materials. Overall the finds are datable between the 1st century b. C,. and the 5st A. D.

Dismounting and remounting the Roman streetThe archaeological park Novi Ark represents the meeting point between the needs both to build the underground park and to safeguard and to bring out the archaeological remains. It is the result of a project shared by Comune di Modena, Direzione Regionale per i Beni Culturali e Paesaggistici dell'Emilia Romagna, Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici dell'Emilia Romagna, Soprintendenza per i Beni architettonici e paesaggistici and Modena Parcheggi spa. It was made dismounting the structures of the Roman age from their original level, 5 metres deep, and remounting the surface as long as it was (118 mt). On the pavement, 5 meters wide, the tracks of the cart wheels are still visible, they witness the intense traffic in and out from the city. In an hypothetic reconstruction of the necropolis the funerary stele of imperial age are displayed aside the road. They tell us stories of ancient people from Modena who lived in the 1st century A.D. when Mutina, floridissima et splendidissima was the most important town in the padana plan area.Entrance to Novi Ark is free 24h a day. The tour is equipped with panels that give a double level of reading: for adults (Italian and English) and for children. The museum offers to schools a specific tour of about three hours about the Roman age, from park to museum.